Daulatabad - The city of fortune

There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it.

– Charles Dudley Warner

Daulatabad earlier known as Devagiri or Deogiri is situated at a distance of 13 km from Aurangabad. Also termed as the city of fortune, it houses a stupendous 12th century fortress well placed atop a charming hill. Daulatabad is famous for its massive fort.

The hill on which the fort built was formerly known as Devagiri or Deogiri (The hill of the Gods) and was re-named Daulatabad, by Mohammed bin Tughlaq, the sultan of Delhi. Starting 1327, it famously remained the capital of Tughlaq dynasty, under Muhammad bin Tughlaq (1325-1351), by transferring the entire population of Delhi and changing the name from Deogiri to Daulatabad (the land of wealth/fortune).

The Daulatabad fort is an interesting fort, it stands on a conical hill, about 200 meters high. Much of the lower slopes of the hill has been cut away by Yadava dynasty rulers to leave 50 meter vertical sides to improve defenses. The awesome hilltop citadel of Daulatabad crowns a massive conical volcanic outcrop whose sides have been shaped into a sheer sixty-metre wall of granite. The fort's forbidding appearance is further accentuated by the enormous minaret rising out of the ruins of the city that once sprawled from its base.

Daulatabad has residential buildings for its rulers but they too are dominated by defense. Even to this day, in spite of the ravages that it was subjected to, the fort still stands virtually unaltered. The fort is still a mystery to many who visit it. There are hundreds of secret passages that will confound you even today. The fortress was built to be impregnable. It has three massive walls to defend it against enemy attack. The fort was conquered but it was done through treachery.

HISTORY:

The city is said to have been founded in 1187 by Bhillama V, a prince who renounced his allegiance to the Chalukyas and established the power of the Yadava dynasty in the west. There is a tradition that Deoghur or Doulatabad was built in 1203 AD by a Dhangar or herdsman who acquiring by some unusual good fortune vast wealth was named by his brother shepherds Rajah Ram and soon after assumed the rank of a Rajah.

Later the fort of Daulatabad passed through the hands of several dynasties in the Deccan. Less than 150 years after the Yadava dynasty, Daulatabad also became the capital of India for a short period during the reign of Sultan Muhammad-bin-Tughluq, who gave the city its present name.

It was in the possession of the Bahmanis until 1526, when it was captured by the Nizam Shahi dynasty, only to be wrested from them by Shah Jahan. It remained in control of the Mughal dynasty until Aurangzeb's death, when it came under the control of the Nizams of Hyderabad. The fort therefore saw the reign a number of different rulers.

DAULATABAD FORT:

The Daulatabad fort is situated on top of a high hill, encircled by thick walls, spiked gates, steep slide ways and a deep trench. The fort has a coiled network of secret, quizzical and subsurface passages. Situated on a hill and surrounded by a 40 feet deep trench with mechanical drawbridges and crocodiles, this fascinating fort becomes impossible for intruders to approach. Along with these, a strong 5 kms long wall and complex series of defenses makes Daulatabad fort one the most secure forts. The defense system of this fort was absolutely full proof with double and even triple rows of massive walls. This fortress was like a maze where the intruders were trapped. There was no way of conquering this majestic fort. The impregnable fort of Daulatabad was only conquered by treachery.

The fort area is sorrounded by three concentric walls (fortifications) known as kots between the outer wall and the citadel. The outer one Amberkot, enclose the original town of Deogiri, of which little remains. The National Highway 211, connecting Aurangabad to Ellora passes through the area covered by Amberkot. The second one, Mahakot, is currently the boundary of the fort for all practical purposes. Around Mahakot, sorrounding the fort is a water body. The main entrance is in Mahakot and has eight gates. The third one is Kalakot.

After Kalakot, one has to cross a deep waterbody (moat), built around the pyramid shaped mountain. It is not over yet. This is followed by a dark zig-zag passage, carved through the rock known as Andhari. It is pitch dark inside. This is followed by a flight of 400 odd steps up to reach the main fort.

Daulatabad fort has some outstanding structures like the Chand Minar, Jami Masjid and royal palaces. The royal palaces within the fort consists of spacious halls, pavilions and courtyards.

The Chand Minar within the fort is a 30-metre high tower. It was a tower of victory build by Ala-ud-din Bahmani to commemorate his conquest of the fort in 1435. The Minar is divided into four storeys having glazed tiles and carved motifs. The Minar is supposed to be used as a prayer hall or a victory monument in its time.

The blue tiled Chini Mahal is located a little higher than the Chand Minar. This is where the last of the kings of Golconda, Abdul Hassan Tana Shah, was imprisoned for thirteen years by Aurangzeb in 1687.

The Jami Masjid within the fort was a mosque built by the Khilji ruler of Delhi, Qutub-ud-din Mubarak in 1318. This mosque is a well-preserved monument, comprising of 106 pillars ransacked from the Hindu and Jain temples, which previously stood on the site. Lately, the Masjid has been converted into a Bharatmata temple, causing dissatisfaction amongst the local Muslims.

There is a large stone-lined Elephant tank in the nearby area. It was once a major part of the fort's extensive water-supply system. There are two giant terracotta pipes, which are the source of channeled water from the hills falling into Deogiri's ( Daulatabad) legendary fruit and vegetable gardens.

On a nearby bastion is the Kila Shikan or fort-breaker. It is a huge piece of heavy ordnance 21 feet 10 in long. It is a ram-headed canon inscribed with its name in Persian. From this spot, a series of gruesome traps start, waiting for the incautious intruder.

The moat around the citadel is crossed by a stone bridge, the level of water in the moat being controlled by dams which could render the bridge inaccessible during siege. The way into the citadel is past a defensive tower and through a series of underground chambers and passages hewn from solid rock. The monumental doorway to the tunnel is Hindu in form, resembling the doorway of the Kailashanatha Temple at nearby Ellora. Enemy advance through the tunnel could be impeded by a stone barrier drawn from a socket by iron rings on one side of the passage.At the head of the tunnel is a ribbed iron door, 20 feet long and 1 in thick, which was heated red-hot from a small adjacent chamber in times of emergency, with the resulting air currents causing smoke to circulate up the tunnel and suffocate the enemy.

The impregnable defences of the Daulatabad fort and other fortified cities of the Bah-mani kingdom show pronounced similarities with contemporary castles in the Levant and there is little doubt that the Bahmani builders were acquainted with Western methods of fortification.

Keep in mind the Daulatabad fort remains open till 6 pm.

HOW TO REACH?

Daulatabad is located around 10 kms east of the Aurangabad town, and is on the Aurangabad - Ellora road (National Highway 211). Aurangabad is well connected by road, rail and air.

By Air :

• The nearest airport from Daulatabad is the Aurangabad airport. This airport is directly linked to Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur and Udaipur.

By Rail :

• Daulatabad rail station is located on the Kachiguda-Manmad section of the Nanded Division of South Central Railway.
• Aurangabad is a major station near to Daulatabad. Aurangabad is well connected to Mumbai and other cities of the country.

By Road :

• Daulatabad Fort is a part of the MTDC tour to Ellora from Aurangabad. It can also be reached by private taxi or by the local bus that runs between Aurangabad and Ellora.

MY TRAVEL ITINERARY:

• I did a tour of Daulatabad Fort, Ellora caves, and Mini Taj at Aurangabad aka Bibi Ka Maqbara few years back.
• We first started off seeing the Daulatabad Fort.
• Next was Ellora Caves - Ellora represents the epitome of Indian rock cut architecture. The 34 Caves being Buddhist, Hindu and Jain cave Temples and monasteries, were built in proximity to demonstrate the religious harmony prevalent during the 5th and 10th century.
• The Bibi Ka Maqbara at Aurangabad is an imitation of Taj Mahal at Agra. The Mini Taj is made mostly of sandstone and has plastered walls and a marble dome, it was completely white so it was hard to see the oblong shapes and designs on the walls.
• Unfortunately I lost my photos of this trip.